Opioid Epidemic Lawsuits

Cleveland Class Action Lawyers – (216) 600-0114

An estimated 59,000 Americans die each year due to drug overdoses, which
has become the leading cause of death for adults under the age of 50.
Over the last 15 years, the number of Americans who have died from a drug
overdose has more than tripled, with approximately 60% of those deaths
involving opioid drugs like OxyContin and fentanyl.

Beyond the enormous emotional devastation the opioid epidemic has placed
on the friends and families of addicts and overdose victims, this epidemic
has had a massive financial impact on government agencies. An estimated
$75 Billion per year is spent on public healthcare, treatment facilities,
criminal justice, jail expenses, and law enforcement efforts related to
reacting to and stopping the opioid epidemic. The number of opioid prescriptions
in the United States has skyrocketed from 76 million in the early 1990’s
to over 200 million in 2013. The United States is the world’s largest
consumer of opioids, accounting for 81% of the world’s supply of
oxycodone and nearly 100% of the world’s supply of hydrocodone.

Opioid Lawsuits – Who is Being Sued and Why?

Spangenberg Shibley & Liber has been named Plaintiff’s co-liaison
counsel in the national prescription opiate Multi District Litigation
(MDL). We are working with other nationwide law firms to represent numerous
governmental agencies against opioid manufacturers and distributers to
attempt to recover the vast damages they have suffered as a result of
the policies and practices of the companies responsible for creating the
opioid epidemic. At this time,
we are only representing governments, and we are not accepting individuals impacted by the opioid crisis.

The defendants in the cases filed on behalf of these governmental agencies
have included:

Cardinal Health

AmerisourceBergen

Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary)

McKesson Corp

Purdue Pharma

Teva Pharmaceuticals

Allergan (Actavis)

Covidien

Endo International

Watson Pharmaceuticals

The complaints filed allege that the pharmaceutical distributors failed
to abide by the federal Controlled Substances Act by not notifying the
United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of dubious opioid purchases,
including orders of unusual pattern, frequency, or size. The complaints
also allege that the manufacturers exaggerated the benefits of the pain
relievers and failed to disclose the true addictive nature of the drugs.

Damages Sought as Part of the Opioid Epidemic

Government agencies are seeking reimbursement for some of the healthcare,
law enforcement, treatment, and social costs related to opioid abuse,
which is estimated to be nearly $75 billion each year.

Some of the damages in the opioid epidemic lawsuits include:

Building and maintaining treatment facilities to assist those who have
become addicted to opioids.

Reimbursement of Medicaid and other governmental expenses related to the
treatment of addicts. This includes repayment for unnecessarily prescribed
opioids, and the antidote (Naloxone/Narcan) to treat overdose victims.

Reimbursement for costs of jails and prosecutions.

Reimbursement for the added expense of law enforcement and medical personnel
required to treat the opioid epidemic.

Overview of Opioid Addiction in America

Current estimates show that nearly 2 million Americans are addicted to
opioids, and in the past year, more than 90 million Americans used a prescription
painkiller. The pain relievers most commonly prescribed are Oxycodone
(such as OxyContin, Percodan & Roxicet), hydrocodone (such as Vicodin,
Lorcet & Lortab), methadone, fentanyl, and morphine. Opioid addicts
include individuals of all ages, race, ethnicity, education, and socioeconomic
status. Specifically, white, working-class, individuals living in rural
areas make up one the largest subset of opioid related deaths.

Fentanyl, an opioid, appears to be related to the most overdose deaths,
especially when it is combined with heroin or cocaine. Fentanyl is 50
to 100 times more potent than morphine, and 30 to 50 times more potent
than heroin. One fentanyl variant or analog, Carfentanil, is 5,000 times
stronger than heroin. Carfentanil is so potent that an amount as small
as a few grains of sand can be fatal. The drug is so powerful that even
when numerous doses of the antidote naloxone (Narcan) are administered
in the specified time, the patient is not expected to survive.

Opioid Epidemic Attorneys Setting Things Right

At Spangenberg Shibley & Liber LLP, our partnership with many other
nationwide law firms represents what might be our best chance yet at stopping
the opioid epidemic. We are ready and willing to fight on the behalf of
governments who deserve significant compensation from the large pharmaceutical
companies that have allowed, if not encouraged, the opioid epidemic to
become so widespread. In turn, the government agencies’ collective
objective sends a strong message to Big Pharma and, hopefully, protects
the lives of the average American.

Want to know more about joining a class action to stop the opioid epidemic?
Call our class action lawyers in Cleveland – we represent governments
around the country – by dialing
(216) 600-0114 today.

Cleveland Personal Injury Attorneys

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